Homeless children and youth report that school is a home to them – a place where they see the same faces, sit in the same seat, and can put their hearts and minds into pursuits that ease their daily troubles. In school, students gain the skills and support needed to avoid poverty and homelessness as adults.

Local Task Force Start-Up Kit

Since 2012, NAEHCY has been leading a nationwide project to facilitate local, inter-agency collaboration and services supporting youth experiencing homelessness. These Local Task Forces recognize the urgency of young people’s needs and are attaining immediate, medium, and long-term goals to prevent and end youth homelessness.

The Local Youth Homelessness Task Force Start-Up Kit is designed to help agencies and individuals start Local Youth Task Forces in their communities. It offers advice to help consider the following questions:

Is this the right time to start a Youth Task Force?

Where can you find data to support your efforts?

Who are key partners in a Youth Task Force effort?

What are some strategies to fully incorporate young people as leaders and partners?

How do we determine priorities?

How do we convene the initial Task Force?

How do we start taking action and moving forward after the first meeting?

How can we use our combined might to make change?

How do we track our progress and measure our outcomes?

The final section of the publication includes advice from Local Task Force leaders around the country. The publication references many ready-made tools to allow communities to start a Task Force without reinventing the wheel, which are available for download here.